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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Monday, December 1, 2008

Delicious Natchitoches Meat Pies are filled with a combination of ground beef and pork and nicely seasoned with onions, sweet peppers, garlic, cayenne and pepper sauce.

Louisiana Natchitoches Meat Pies

Natchitoches, Louisiana, is the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase and is home to the oldest and largest Creole settlement outside of New Orleans. It is the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish and has a population of 17,865 (2000 census). Pronounced NACK-id-dush, it is also home of the famous Natchitoches Meat Pie, a popular street food since the late 1700's. A half-moon shape of pastry crust is filled with a spicy blend of beef and pork then fried golden and crispy. Seriously addictive, Natchitoches Meat Pies are a true Louisiana food.

Today, meat pies are a state-wide food staple, and include the flavors and culinary traditions of Africa, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean. In New Orleans, meat pies are a local favorite and a Jazz Fest tradition.

The Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival is held annually in historic Natchitoches at the downtown riverbank along Cane River Lake.Big name talent, a Meat Pie Eating Contest, a Meat Pie Making Contest and a Triathlon (named the Meat Pie Tri) are just some of the events usually scheduled. For upcoming festival information here.

In a heavy-bottomed saute pan, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery and saute about 5 minutes or until vegetables are softened. Last minute or so add the garlic. Add the beef and pork and saute until cooked through and most liquid has reduced down. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 60 minutes. Add small amounts of broth as necessary to prevent sticking. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.

For the dough, cut shortening into 2 cups of flour. Stir in egg yolk and 1/2 cup water to form a sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and sprinkle remaining flour on top, a little at a time, working it in until dough is smooth. Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 4 to 6 rounds. Evenly distribute filling in center of each round, wet edges with water, fold over and gently seal with tines of fork. Place pies on a plate lightly sprinkled with flour and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

To Bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the pie crust in half and spoon a generous portion on each half. Prepare egg wash by whisking together egg and water and brush it around the edge of each round, fold over and press edges together with a fork. Place the meat pies on a greased cookie sheet or pan. Make a couple of small slits in the dough so the steam will vent out, brush some of the egg wash over each pie and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

To Fry: Traditionally at the festivals these pies are fried. Preheat your fryer to 375 degrees F, and then cut the pie crust up into smaller rounds - somewhere between 3 and 5 inches or so. Portion out the meat mixture onto each of the rounds. Proceed as above to fold and seal them with the egg wash, except don't brush the egg wash on top of course. Fry the pies until golden brown; drain and serve hot.

Cook's Notes: You want your filling to be room temperature but not hot. If filling is too hot it will melt the dough and cause filling to break through. May also substitute a homemade or store bought pie crust (Pillsbury recommended). Cheese is not a traditional ingredient in Louisiana meat pies, but if you like it, by all means add some. You'll want about 1-1/2 cups shredded fine. Actual number of servings will depend on how you cut the dough.

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These look delish and I will try my hand at making them...I do a Cornish version of meatpies as my Grandmother taught them to me using ground sirlion, potato, carrot, turnip or rootabaga and onion. We used to spend a whole day making and baking them and eat till we were stuffed!Your version sounds wonderful! :)

AkasaWolfSong, thanks so much for stopping by. These are very basic meat pies, but very good! Your version with all the veggies sounds so hardy, sort of like a pot pie, and so delicious. I love those kinds of family traditions - we have many like that where I live especially around Christmas, but I'm afraid they are dying off with the younger generation.

Hi Meredith & yes! I would prepare them and skip the egg wash but cut slits in them. Line a cookie sheet, lay them out in one layer and flash freeze them individually, then wrap them for the freezer. When you're ready to cook them, I think they'd cook better thawed, but you'd probably want to unwrap them so the wrapper doesn't stick to them as it thaws. You can brush them with the egg wash just before baking or skip that of course if frying. Enjoy!

I've never tried them with turkey sausage, so I really hoped that enjoyed them!! If I were using turkey I might have to bump up the seasonings a bit - would depend on how it was seasoned though I suppose! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment - appreciate that!!

I planned to make these tonight but they really take too long on a week night. I had a pound of ground elk meat and a pound of ground pork so I went ahead and cooked the meat and veggies together and then scooped out half of the mixture and froze it for another time. To the remainder I added a can of black beans, a can of tomatoes, and a cup of water with a tsp of beef base and seasoned it with chili powder. Not exactly traditional chili, and my husband looked pretty skeptical when I served it, but he ate 2 big bowls. Can't wait to try the pies.

These look good, but when reading the recipe my mouth kept telling me that there was something missing. Then it came to me. Cheese. I think if I made them, I would add a cup or two of a mild provolone or mozzarella to the room temperature meat / veggie mix.

I have been to the Natchitoches and had the real thing years ago, and these pies are simply the best. This recipe is one that has been used for a long time, and everyone tweaks it to suit their own taste. You can buy these in the freezer case in supermarkets all over Louisiana, so if you ever find yourself there for a visit, I highly recommend that you get a couple of boxes. You will not be disappointed, I guarantee.

I hear you on that! We're in for some cold weather here tonight too I hear. Teens for us with wind chill & for the Mississippi Gulf Coast that's COLD! The blend of pork and beef is most traditional & of course the pork does add flavor, but you could do these with plain ground beef. They won't quite be the same but they'll be good!

Thanks for the response, I did go out and buy pork, now I wanted to start making them but it is late, wondering if I got them altogether if you can put them in the refrigerator and bake or fry them the next day?

I would make the filling but don't stuff the dough until right before you cook them unless you plan to freeze the, or you risk the dough getting soggy & gummy from the filling. I hope that you enjoy them!

Ground pork is plain, unseasoned pork that has been ground like ground beef and is usually found in the flat Styrofoam trays like ground beef is displayed. The rolls of breakfast sausage include a wide variety of different seasonings and may certainly be substituted for plain ground pork.

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These are one of THE best things I've ever made! I also visited Natchitoches, LA in the early '80s, attended these festivals. If any of you EVER get chance to visit, you should. HIGHLY recommend their cookbook CANE RIVER CUISINE. I bought this back in 1980 and am STILL using it all these years later. It can be ordered online. I've never cooked a single recipe that wasn't good. ****As for the person saying they don't have ground pork in their market, they can use bulk sausage, browned & finely chop it up. You can add ground beef as well.

Well..... I would agree that homemade is almost always better truly, well, for pretty much anything! I would agree that eating one of these at the festival is the best ones to eat, but I will have to agree to disagree with you on Cane River's crust being MUCH better though. :)

Even with a good commercial pie crust such as Pillsbury's refrigerated crust, this recipe is still delicious and I don't think a single thing is lost. While it may not be precisely "authentic," and I never make that claim, it is an excellent recipe that I absolutely stand by.

You'll need access to an oven where you can keep them warm on low heat on a tray, uncovered, until just before serving (best method). If that's not possible then you'll need some kind of counter-top oven to hold them on low. You may be able to keep them warm with a large casserole style crockpot or Nesco type of roaster on low but with the lid cocked sideways so that no moisture builds up on the lid or insides. Otherwise they'll steam and get soggy.

It's a good article on a Louisiana born treat, but there is one part of the article that is incorrect. It states that the meat pies has the flavors and traditions of Africa, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean, but it's well known in Louisiana that these meat pies are of Spanish origin and is connected to Spaniards that settled Louisiana and their descendants. Chef John Folse even did a segment on the this meat pie called "The Spanish shows". So this meat pie has the origins, flavors and traditions of Spain mixed with local Louisiana ingredients. Every Spanish speaking nation has a meat pie that is similar as well as Spain itself and especially one that is similar to this Louisiana meat pie known as "empanada de carne" or "empanada de Picadillo".

Dear Anonymous, this is not really an "article" but rather a short summary behind the recipe I have shared here. This is, after all a recipe site! :)

Certainly there is a Spanish influence here along many of the areas of the southern states of the Gulf Coast and not only in the Natchitoches LA. Perhaps my post was not fully inclusive (nor was it intended to be) but neither would I say that it was "incorrect." There are many sources away from this recipe blog that go much further and far deeper into the historical aspects of meat pies from the Natchitoches LA area - some of which would disagree with you.

Many cultures around the world have meat pies of some form all slightly different from one another and Chef Folse himself only compares Louisiana meat pies to Spanish empanadas, stating that Natchitoches pies were likely developed by the Natchitoches Indians and perhaps only "improved upon" by other cultures in the area, including the Spanish. The Spanish of that area of Louisiana are certainly more well known for their salsas and tamales according to food historians. Thank you, however, for stopping by to let everyone know your thoughts on Louisiana meat pies.

Mary, I don’t know how you put up with it sometimes. Everybody knows everything. Almost every culture has its own versions of these hand pies and… Swedish Meatballs. I can remember as a kid going down to the Lower East Side of Manhattan (predominantly Jewish), with my grandfather and having something very similar (minus the ground pork, naturally). Most New Yorkers are familiar with meat, cheese and potato stuffed Knishes. But there’s also a lesser known Manha (pronounced muh-ee-nuh). Then there’s one of my favorites, which I cannot remember the name of. But they were round and stuffed with savory meat, and the pastry was sprinkled with sesame seeds. They were a specialty of the Sephardic Jews. And no surprise, their origins are of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain, Portugal). Keep up the good work.God bless

LOL Chris, it certainly can be a challenge sometimes! Oddly these sorts of comments almost always come from a single visitor, who made their way here for the first time and who almost always posts anonymously and then never comes here again. The internet is a pretty awesome place, but at the same time it has it downfalls in human interactions too. Our modern life!

Oh yes, there are all kinds of meat pies around the world with just some minor variations in the ingredients! Potatoes and carrots are not traditional in the Louisiana pies, but I know both would be good additions.

Mary, just looking at this makes me want to try it. But is there any traditional dipping sauce or such for these if they are baked? see the photo and just want to tip the tips in something something...

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